Schedule Your Thangka Art Courses for 2024! 🎉

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Schedule Your Thangka Art Courses for the coming year!

Hi Thangka Art Lover!

Below you’ll find an overview of the thangka art courses I’ll be offering in 2024. For some of them you can already register, for others the planning is still in progress and you can save the date until registration opens.

Carmen

ONLINE | Buddha Face Thangka Art Course
​Jan 26 – Feb 4, 2024

During this in-depth thangka course, you will learn how to draw the face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Through the combination of creating art step by step, mindfulness meditation and explanations about thangka and iconography, you will not only create a meaningful drawing, but you will gain an experience that lasts way longer than the duration of this course.

​Read More and Register​

ONLINE | The Buddha Thangka Art Course
​Feb 10 (Losar!) – April 14, 2024

During this in-depth course, you will learn how to draw Shakyamuni, our Historical Buddha, according to the traditional Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Thangka, in a step by step process.

Before the course starts a package with the traditional grid proportions for drawing this Buddha will be shipped to you and during the course Carmen is fully available to guide and support you on your drawing, bringing each student from where they are to a higher level.

​Read More and Register​

NETHERLANDS | Workshops and Lectures at the Vrije Academie
​Feb – Jul 2024

I’m pleased to announce that the Vrije Academie has asked me to offer the following workshops and lectures (in Dutch) at their beautiful building in Amsterdam:

Workshop: Drawing the Buddha Face (4+ 27 feb / 13 mar / 2 apr)
Workshop: Traditional Tibetan Amulet Making (30 mar / 3 apr / 4 may)
Lecture: The Historical Buddha in Tibetan Art (27 feb / 11 mar)
Lecture: Wisdom and Compassion in Tibetan Art (3+16 may)
Summer School Course: The Eight Auspicious Symbols (July or Aug)
​
They’ll be bookable on their website soon, and I will also announce them on my website.
​>> Save the Dates for now! <<

NETHERLANDS | Amoghapasha, Buddha of Compassion ​
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish fulfilled​
​March 21-24, 2024

Course is offered in Dutch, translations can be provided on request. ​
​
A 4-day thangka course in The Netherlands where you’ll learn to draw a special subject: Amoghapasha, a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenrezig), the Buddha of Compassion. It was the late Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish that this deity be painted on a cliff above Lawudo, Nepal, and this project was recently finished. As

Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
All lodging and meals included.

​Read More or Register at Maitreya Instituut​

ITALY | Thangka Art Retreat near Florence
​April 12-19, 2024​
​​
Retreat is offered in English, translations can be provided on request.
​​
Join me for a wonderful trip in drawing and painting Buddhas and Mandalas near Florence! Perfect to combine with vacation in Italy / Tuscany. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.​
Check out the new retreat location and everything this retreat has to offer. All lodging and meals included.
​
​Read More and Register​

ONLINE | Medicine Buddha Thangka Art Course
​May 11 – July 14, 2024

Learn to draw the Buddha of Healing according to the Tibetan tradition.
​The Medicine Buddha (Tib.: Sangye Menla) is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ Healing qualities, associated with healing both physical and mental suffering. His deep blue lapis lazuli colour, the bowl filled with medicinal nectar, and the healing plants that he holds, all symbolise his power to conquer diseases and delusions.

​Read More​
Registration will open Early Feb.
​>> Save the Date for now! <<

USA, NY | Thangka Art Retreat at Omega Institute
​June 30-July 5, 2024

Join the Omega Arts Week for a beautiful Tibetan Art Retreat!
​Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
All lodging and meals included.
​
Registration will open by the end of Feb on the Omega website.
I will also announce this in my newsletter and on my website.​
​>> Save the Date for now! <<

USA, NY | Thangka Workshops in NYC
​July 2024
​In addition to the retreat at Omega Institute, I will be offering thangka classes in NYC. Planning is in progress.
Keep an eye on this newsletter and my website.

NETHERLANDS | Thangka Summer Retreat
​August 3-10, 2024

Retreat is offered in Dutch, translations can be provided on request. ​
​
Join me for the wonderful annual 8-day retreat where you’ll learn to draw or paint a thangka. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
In this retreat you can also learn to create a traditional thangka frame and canvas. All lodging and meals included.
​​
​Read More or Register at Maitreya Instituut​

NETHERLANDS | Thangka Art Course
​Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2024​
​
A 4-day thangka course in The Netherlands, subject to be announced.
All lodging and meals included.

Registration will open in the first half or 2024 on the Maitreya Instituut Website. I will also announce this in my newsletter and on my website.​
​>> Save the Date for now! <<

ITALY | Venice Thangka Art Course
​Nov 7-10, 2024​
​
A 4-day thangka course in beautiful Venice, perfect to combine with the Art Biennale of Venice.

Registration will open in the first half or 2024 on my website.​
​>> Save the Date for now! <<

Any questions?
Just contact me.

A year full of art, creativity, spirituality, meditation and inner growth 🙏🏼

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A year full of art, creativity, spirituality, meditation and inner growth 🙏🏼

Dear Thangka Art Lover,

Hope you enjoyed the holidays and that you are just like me looking forward to a wonderful year full of art, creativity, spirituality, meditation and inner growth. All of this you’ll experience in a thangka course.

The best way to dive deeper into your creativity and spirituality is to join a thangka painting retreat, either onsite (plan your vacation in Italy and join me for the retreat near Florence!) or online (start your thangka journey on Jan 26th with the Buddha Face Course!).

New: Subtitles for all online courses​
I’m also excited to announce the new feature in my online courses: from now you can watch all videos with subtitles!
Currently subtitles in English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, German and French are offered, but any language is possible.
Just send me a message if your language is not offered yet and I’ll make sure it will be available before you start your course.

Schedule your thangka course planning for this year
​Below you’ll find an overview of the thangka art courses I’ll be offering in 2024. For some of them you can already register, for others the planning is still in progress and you can save the date until registration opens.

Love,
Carmen

Come with me to Italy 🇮🇹​
​Plan your vacation in Italy this year and combine this beautiful thangka painting retreat with sightseeing in Tuscany.

ITALY | Thangka Art Retreat near Florence
​April 12-19, 2024​
​Retreat is offered in English, translations can be provided on request.
​​
Join me for a wonderful trip in drawing and painting Buddhas and Mandalas. On our free day we will visit Florence. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced. All lodging and meals included!​
​Read More and Register​

Upcoming Online Courses 🏡
​NEW: TRANSLATIONS!​
Subtitles for the videos in all online courses are now available in English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, German and French.
​Need them in any other language? Just send me a message.

ONLINE | Buddha Face Thangka Art Course
​Jan 26 – Feb 4, 2024
​Subtitles in English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, German, French or any other language.​
​
During this in-depth thangka course, you will learn how to draw the face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Through the combination of creating art step by step, mindfulness meditation and explanations about thangka and iconography, you will not only create a meaningful drawing, but you will gain an experience that lasts way longer than the duration of this course.
​Save your space here​

ONLINE | The Buddha Thangka Art Course
​Feb 10 (Losar!) – April 14, 2024
​Subtitles in English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, German, French or any other language

During this in-depth course, you will learn how to draw Shakyamuni, our Historical Buddha, according to the traditional Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Thangka, in a step by step process.

Before the course starts a package with the traditional grid proportions for drawing this Buddha will be shipped to you and during the course Carmen is fully available to guide and support you on your drawing, bringing each student from where they are to a higher level.
​Save your space here​

Other online Thangka Art Courses

Buddha Face​
​Apr 26 – May 5, 2024
​Registration opens end of Jan Read More​

Medicine Buddha​
​May 11 – July 14, 2024
​Registration will open Early Feb. Read More​

White Tara​
​Second half of 2024

Eight Auspicious Symbols​
​End of 2024 – Beginning of 2025

Courses in The Netherlands 🇳🇱​
NOTE: All courses and retreats in The Netherlands are offered in Dutch, but translations in any language can be provided on request.

​
NETHERLANDS | Workshops and Lectures at the Vrije Academie, Amsterdam
​Feb – Jul 2024

Workshop: Boeddhagezicht Tekenen (4+ 27 feb / 13 mar / 2 apr)
Workshop: Traditionele Tib. Amulet Maken (30 mar / 3 apr / 4 may)
Links voor bovenstaande workshops worden zsm toegevoegd​
​Lezing: De Historische Boeddha in de Tib. Kunst (27 feb / 11 mrt)
​Lezing: Wijsheid en Mededogen in de Tib. Kunst (3+16 mei)
​Summer School: De Acht Gelukssymbolen Tekenen (22 t/m 26 juli)

NETHERLANDS |
​Amoghapasha, Buddha of Compassion ​
​March 21-24, 2024
​​
A 4-day thangka course in The Netherlands where you’ll learn to draw a
special subject: Amoghapasha, a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenrezig), the Buddha of Compassion. It was the late Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish that this deity be painted on a cliff above Lawudo, Nepal, and this project was recently finished.
Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
All lodging and meals included.
​Read More or Register Here at Maitreya Instituut​

NETHERLANDS | Thangka Summer Retreat
​August 3-10, 2024​
​
Join me for the wonderful annual 8-day retreat where you’ll learn to draw or paint a thangka. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
In this retreat you can also learn to create a traditional thangka frame and canvas. All lodging and meals included.
​​
​Read More or Register Here at Maitreya Instituut​

NETHERLANDS | Thangka Art Course
​Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2024​
​
A 4-day thangka course in The Netherlands, subject to be announced.
All lodging and meals included. Registration will open in the first half or 2024 on the Maitreya Instituut Website. >> Save the Date for now! <<

Courses in the USA 🇺🇸​
NOTE: In addition to the retreat at Omega Institute, I will be offering thangka classes in NYC. Planning is in progress.

USA, NY | Thangka Art Retreat at Omega Institute
​June 30-July 5, 2024

Join the Omega Arts Week for a beautiful Tibetan Art Retreat!
​Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced.
All lodging and meals included.
​
Registration will open by the end of Feb on the Omega website.
I will also announce this in my newsletter and on my website.​
​>> Save the Date for now! <<

Other

ITALY | Venice Thangka Art Course
​Nov 7-10, 2024​
​
A 4-day thangka course in beautiful Venice, perfect to combine with the Art Biennale of Venice. Registration will open in the first half or 2024 on my website. >> Save the Date for now! <<

​
​
Any questions?
Just contact me by replying to this email.

Any questions?
Just contact me.

Update on onsite courses + Last day to register for upcoming online courses!

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Tara’s counting down to Losar 🎉

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Happy Losar 2024 – Tibetan New Year! 🎁 Get Free Gifts 🎉 Win a Course 💰 Get Discounts

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Happy Losar to you my dear!

Tibetan New Year is the perfect time to offer gifts, and the free course ‘Happy Losar 2024’ is full of it! Read all about this year of the Wood Dragon, learn about dragons’ blood, dragons on thangkas and enjoy free lectures, meditations, mantras, downloads, discounts and things to win! Enroll in ‘Happy Losar 2024’ at the School for Tibetan Buddhist Art:

If you don’t have an account at the School for Tibetan Buddhist Art yet, sign up with your most used email address and a password that you can remember for next time you visit the school. If you are already signed in, ‘Happy Losar 2024’ can also be found under ‘My Products’ Please pass on this email to those who are interested.

PS ​Happy Losar 2024​ will be available for you under ‘My Products’ until the end of this weekend (in all time zones). Also the discounts are valid until the end of the weekend.

Are you a Winner of the Happy Losar Competition? 🎉 My Personal Travel Tips for Tuscany 🇮🇹

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Dear {{ subscriber.first_name }},

Hope you enjoyed the Tibetan New Year celebrations online or with your sangha! In this email I’m letting you know who won the competitions that were in the Happy Losar 2024 Gift Pack.

As a lover of Italy I’m also sharing with you my favorite places in Tuscany, that you could combine with the Thangka Art Retreat that I’ll be offering there in April.

Ciao ciao for now,
Carmen

A few spaces left for the Thangka Art Retreat in Italy 🇮🇹

April 12-19, 2024, near Florence

Retreat is offered in English, translations can be provided on request.

Join me for a wonderful trip in drawing and painting Buddhas and Mandalas on an amazing location (see pics above) near Florence. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced. All lodging and meals included.

My personal favorites ❤️ to combine the Thangka Art Retreat with other places in Tuscany:

Visiting Italy for the ​Thangka Art Retreat​ itself is more than worth it of course, but if you have some extra days to spend before or after the retreat I would love to share a few of my personal favorite spots with you, each of which are super easy to reach by public transport:

1) Florence and the Uffizi Museum
There’s not enough space here in the newsletter to describe the beauty and the arts of Florence, the place where the Renaissance was born, so I suggest you to explore more on this ​online​.

Florence

Florence is just a short, direct bus ride from the Thangka Retreat location. If you don’t have time to visit Florence before or after the retreat, you can do that with me during our time off during the course.

The Uffizi Museum

THE BEST museum in Florence is the ​Uffizi Museum​, not to be missed during your visit as it home of ALL of your favorite famous paintings from Italian masters such as Botticelli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Bronzino, Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo to name a few.

During the ​Thangka Retreat​, on Tue Apr 16th, there’s time off to visit Florence (and the Uffizi museum) with me, or to explore other parts of Tuscany by yourself or with other students.

2) Lucca
When arriving at Pisa airport -flights to Pisa are often cheaper than to Florence- you can take a ​train​ from that same airport that brings you in just 8min to Pisa (worth a ​visit​ in itself!) or in 45min to my absolute favorite place in Tuscany: ​Lucca​.

This small city is known for the well-preserved Renaissance walls encircling its historic city center and its cobblestone streets, and its distinct oval shaped piazza:

The great opera composer Puccini was born here too, and you can visit his house that’s now a museum. You could visit Lucca on a day trip but I really recommend to stay there for a few nights (always stay within the city walls for the best experience!). I’ve been staying in Lucca for three times over the years, and as I can never get enough of this place this year it wil be my fourth.

3) Siena
and Volterra and San Gimignano
A bus and a train ride (or two bus rides) from the Thangka Retreat location brings you to Siena.
Siena was one of the most important cities in medieval Europe, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which contains several buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries. The city is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, and medieval cityscape and its famous Piazza del Campo:

Piazza del Campo, Siena

From both Florence and Siena you can make a day trip to the villages of Volterra and San Gimignano:

Volterra (in Etruscan Veláthri)

​Volterra​ is famous for its Etruscan origins from the thirteenth-century and for the many remains belonging to this era. With its double walls, it’s a medieval-looking city, where you can still enjoy the atmosphere of a historic village. It’s also known for the manufacture of alabaster.

San Gimignano

​San Gimignano​ is the epitome of a Tuscan hill town. About 40km / 25 miles from both Florence and Siena, San Gimignano is beloved because of its skyline of medieval towers. Pointy skylines were the norm in Tuscany in the Middle Ages, when feuding noble families ran the hill towns. Each family had its own private army that would periodically battle things out from the protection of its respective family towers.

Winners of the Happy Losar 2024 competitions 🎉

Losar -Tibetan New Tear- was celebrated on Feb 11, and as has become a tradition in the past few years, my School for Tibetan Buddhist Art offers a ​Happy Losar Gift Pack​ with all kinds of gifts during this time, such as lectures, mantras, downloads and things to win. Here are the winners of this year’s competitions:

Winner of the Buddha Face Thangka Art Course Laurie Halbe from the US

Winner of the Medicine Notebook + accessories pack Eszter Kareszter-Kapitány from Hungary

Both winners were personally informed about it last week. Everybody who joined the competition(s) but did not win also received an email about it. If you didn’t see this mail please check your spam folder (and mark the sender as safe).

Any questions? Just contact me by replying to this email.

PS

If you won’t be able to make it to one of the thangka retreats in ​Italy​, the ​US​ or the ​Netherlands​ this year, you can also join the online ​Buddha Face course from Apr 26-May 5​ and/or the ​Medicine Buddha course from May 11-July 14

You can NOW register for the Thangka Art Retreats in the US 🇺🇸 (and those in Europe! 🌷)

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Special Guan Yin Thangka Course in NYC, Medicine Buddha Online, and Tara’s Cherry Blossoms 🌸

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Special Guan Yin Thangka Course in NYC, Medicine Buddha Online, and Tara’s Cherry Blossoms 🌸

Upcoming Online Classes:

🏠

Buddha Face

​Online Thangka
Art Course​

April 26-May 5​
​​
​During this in-depth thangka course, you will learn how to draw the face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. You don’t need to have any drawing experience.

🏠

Medicine Buddha

​Online Thangka
Art Course​
​May 11-July 14, 2024​​

The Medicine Buddha (Tib.: Sangye Menla) is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ Healing qualities, associated with healing both physical and mental suffering. His deep blue lapis lazuli colour and the healing plants that he holds, symbolize his power to conquer diseases and delusions.

In this course you will learn how to draw this Buddha according to thangka tradition.

Upcoming Classes in the US (East Coast):

🇺🇸

Introduction to Thangka Art

​Tibet House, NYC​

June 21, 2024​ ​
​​
​A beautiful evening with Carmen Mensink, where after her lecture on the art of thangka you’ll get to experience it hands-on by learning how to draw the Face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

This evening is suitable for everyone, including beginners with no drawing experience whatsoever; Carmen will guide you individually.

The use of materials is included!

🇺🇸

Guan Yin
Thangka Course

​Tibet House, NY​
​June 22+23, 2024​​

During this weekend workshop you will learn to draw (and perhaps later paint) this beautiful figure according to the tradition of thangka (Tibetan scroll paintings).

Guan Yin can be found in the various Buddhist traditions of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. She is a form of Avalokitesvara (Tib. Chenrezig) the male bodhisattva of compassion.

The story of how Guan Yin transformed from a male into a female form over the centuries is a very interesting one, and of course you will learn all about this.

For the drawing part you can choose between two different forms of Guan Yin -standing and sitting. Of course you can also just focus on drawing her face.

The use of materials is included!

​

Other classes
in NYC

An additional evening workshop and lectures (onsite and online) at the Shantideva Center in Brooklyn, NYC may still be added. Keep an eye on this email and the website.

🇺🇸

Thangka
Art Retreat

​Omega Institute
NY, USA​
​June 30-July 5, 2024​​

Join us for the annual Arts Week at the wonderful Omega Institute!

Learn to draw and/or paint a Buddha or Mandala, and enjoy lectures on Tibetan Art during this meditative retreat with like-minded people, at the beautiful Omega Institute in Rhinebeck NY.

Carmen’s personal approach and guidance makes this retreat suitable for students of all levels.

The subject this week is Green Tara and her mandala. You can choose which one you want to work on this week.

Beginners may also choose for Buddha Shakyamuni or Medicine Buddha as their subject this week (as these are better suitable for beginners) but please contact Carmen beforehand if you would like that so she can prepare this for you.

There will be time to make lovely walks, visit the sweet village of Rhinebeck and join the extra eveing programs that Omega offers.

Omega offers amazing meals and you can choose from different places to stay on campus (or off campus).

​
PS
​Searching for a Thangka Course in Europe?

​ITALY, Florence | 12-19 April | Thangka Retreat Week | LAST SPACES​

​NETHERLANDS | 3-10 August | Thangka Summer Retreat ​

​NETHERLANDS | 31 Oct – 1 Nov | Guan Yin, Female Compassion​

​ITALY, Venice | 7-10 Nov | Thangka Course​

Upcoming Courses in the USA and Europe | Last week to register for the online course | Check out the pics of the Italy retreat!

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Upcoming Courses in the USA and Europe | Last week to register for the online course | Check out the pics of the Italy retreat! 🌸

Thangka Classes in NYC starting next week 🇺🇸 Join me for Arts Week at Omega Institute NY

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Celebrating Saka Dawa (Vesak) 🙏🏼 Multiply your Merit today!

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Thangka Courses in The Netherlands 🌷 + Pics from the recent US thangka Tour!

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